Dear Ones:
As we all know, the situation with the COVID-19 pandemic is changing daily, if not hourly. We at St. Martin’s don’t want to overwhelm you with more updates than you need or want, but we do need to keep you informed about how the situation is affecting our worship, ministries, meetings, and so on.
To that end, please note that our buildings and grounds are currently closed to all St. Martin’s activities. That means any meeting or event you planned to have at church is not happening–at least it is not physically taking place at church. For some meetings and classes, other arrangements are being made, generally along the lines of an online Zoom meeting (more on Zoom below). If you are not sure whether a meeting has been canceled, rescheduled, or is happening online, please reach out first to the person who organized it. When in doubt, contact the church office and we will try to help you out.
The church office: Our physical location is closed, but most vital functions will continue as we work remotely. So, if you call our usual number during our usual hours, we will (most likely) answer. If we don’t answer, just leave a message as usual. We are monitoring voicemail messages as well.
The staff: Pamela, Alex, Margaret, and Ernie, as well as other staff, can all answer email from home. If you have a St. Martin’s directory then you also know how to reach them by phone. Our phone tree exercise last weekend helped us clarify the best ways to be in touch with many of you. If you are reading this and still haven’t received a phone call from someone at St. Martin’s, we may not have a correct working number for you. Please be in touch with the office. If you need a directory emailed to you, please be in touch with the office for that as well.
Sunday worship: As I am writing this, the City of Davis is urging residents to shelter in place (that is, to not leave your home except for essential activities). Currently this is not an order, but that could change. As such, we’re not sure how our plans to livestream our Sunday worship will be affected, if at all. We will continue to keep you informed in a timely manner.
Livestream of worship: Please know that the staff spent several hours yesterday making arrangements to improve the quality and accessibility of our livestream. Right now it looks like we can make most of the key improvements by Sunday, although some might be implemented after that.
When we know for sure whether or not we are using Facebook Live again on Sunday, we will send out more specific recommendations for what you can do at your end to have the best possible viewing experience. Again, stay tuned. If you were not able to “join us” on Sunday, please note that the livestream as well as an audio podcast are now available on our website.
Outside groups: You may be wondering about outside groups at St. Martin’s. Those we consider to be offering essential and live-saving services, such as recovery groups, STEAC, and DCMH, are being allowed to continue their operations. Important: if you are over 65 or in another high-risk group, please do not continue your volunteer activities. There are others who can take your place with much less risk to themselves. If it helps, consider this a “godly admonition” from your rector.
Wednesday night class: Beginning this evening, Helen Campbell and I will be offering our class via Zoom, an online video conferencing platform. We will start at 7 pm and all are welcome to join us, whether or not you attended our one in-person class. Make yourself a cup of tea, turn on your laptop or smartphone or other device, and join us to learn about the Book of Common Prayer. Instructions for how to use Zoom are at the end of this message.
I have vowed to love the people I serve, and that means caring about your physical as well as spiritual health. If you are suffering financially, emotionally, or in some other way because of our current situation of anxiety and uncertainty, please reach out. Your church family is still here for you. I am still here for you. Caring Ministries and other lay leaders are still here for you. We will get through this–together.
Blessings,
Pamela+
Instructions for Zoom: Below you will find an invitation to the weekly Wednesday night class we’re holding via Zoom. I borrowed this instructional language from an email that Helen Campbell forward to me:
Begin by clicking the link below (see the “https” address after the Join Zoom meeting line).
Follow the directions–if your first time using Zoom, it may take a few minutes to configure the app.
When it prompts you–click on the Run tab.
Audio: When prompted, click on “Join by Computer audio.” To speak during the meeting, click on the microphone icon in the lower left corner to turn on your microphone. There is chat capability–just click on the “Chat” in the lower right corner. Just realize that when you chat you are chatting to the whole group unless you select the one participant you want it to go to. You will be prompted for your name and the password is below.
Video: If you have a camera on your computer or laptop, your video will be shown to the group.If you wish to be available by sound only, click on the little video camera in the lower left corner to turn off the video.
It looks more complicated than it is–trust me. I will be on early to help guide you through.
When you are not talking, be sure to mute your sound by clicking on the microphone in the lower left corner.
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 446 489 548
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